Province Launches Teacher Registry and New Student Safety Measures

The Manitoba government is introducing several new measures to help improve student safety and bring greater accountability, discipline and transparency for teachers through legislative amendments, acting Education and Early Childhood Learning Minister Tracy Schmidt announced today.

“There is nothing more important than ensuring that children are safe,” said Schmidt. “Teachers have a great role to play in a child’s life and parents and caregivers are entrusting teachers with their children’s education and well-being. Our government is strengthening the teacher professional conduct review process through an online registry and the appointment of an independent commissioner, which will give parents and caregivers reassurance that reviews will be done in reliable, transparent way that keeps student safety at the centre.”

The new teacher certification and professional conduct framework through the Education Administration Amendment Act includes a public registry of certified Manitoba teachers who have a teaching certificate as well as information on whether a teacher’s certificate has been suspended or cancelled. The teacher registry is now available to the public online.

“The new framework modernizes the way we regulate the teaching profession in Manitoba,” added Schmidt. “As a parent, this is an issue that’s close to my heart because when we talk about teacher professional conduct, we’re talking about student safety.”

The new teacher professional conduct review process has now taken effect. The review process will be led by an independent commissioner, Bobbi Taillefer, who will receive and investigate complaints, facilitate consent resolution agreements and refer cases to a hearing panel for adjudication. The hearing panel will be made up of teachers, representatives nominated by the Manitoba School Boards Association and members of the public, which include:

• Erin Bockstael (public representative), manager of family and community programs at the Women’s Health Clinic;
• Gavin Bruce Strang (public representative), a professor in the department of history at Brandon University;
• Gord Schumacher (public representative), the executive director of the Manitoba Association of Chiefs of Police;
• Raven-Dominique Gobeil (public representative), the senior in-house attorney for the First Nations Family Advocate Office;
• Kevin Sterner (independent schools representative);
• Morgan Whiteway (Manitoba School Boards Association representative);
• Elizabeth Mitchell (Manitoba School Boards Association representative);
• Alison Bourrier (Manitoba School Boards Association representative);
• Charles Cochrane (Manitoba School Boards Association representative);
• Vinh Huynh (Manitoba Teacher Society representative);
• Jesse Thomaschewski (Manitoba Teacher Society representative); and
• Nicole Lavallee (Manitoba Teacher Society representative).

“Moving forward, Manitoba students and parents will benefit from enhanced protections and transparency,” said Noni Classen, director of education and support services, Canadian Centre for Child Protection. “We believe these changes will enhance the trust and confidence students and their families have in Manitoba’s school system.”

The registry is available to the public at www.edu.gov.mb.ca/k12/profcert/registry/index.html.

The commissioner of teacher professional conduct’s website is also available to the public at: www.edu.gov.mb.ca/k12/commissioner/index.html.